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Kirribilli was named after the First People's word kiarabilli, which means 'good fishing spot'.
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge and extend our gratitude to the Cammeraygal people of the Eora nation, the original and ongoing custodians of the land upon which Loreto Kirribilli is built. In the spirit of reconciliation, we honour and respect Elders past, present and emerging and their deep connection to the land, waterways and skies.
Cammeraygal Country
‘The women skimmed the waters in their simple bark canoes with fires lit on clay pads for warmth and cooking. The officers were fascinated; they wondered how on earth the women could manage … fishing tackle, onboard fire, small children and babies … in surf that would terrify their toughest sailors’
Historian Grace Karskens describing Eora fisherwomen, 2014
Until only recently, Eora women dominated the waterways of Sydney. Their formidable skills in canoeing, fishing, diving and swimming provided most of the food for their families and communities, and were much commented on by the early colonists. Here along the harbour’s northern shores, women of the Cammeraygal clan would have sung together as they pushed out in their bark nowie (canoes) to fish, keeping time with their paddles as they rowed.
Their knowledge, care and management of Country, its land, waterways and skies, underpinned Eora culture and daily life, and today underpins their descendants’ continuing custodianship of this suburb and city.
Picture above: Eora women fishing from their nowie were a common sight on Sydney Harbour. Watercolour 43 (detail) from Banks Manuscript 34; c1790, © Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London
Reconcilation Action Plan
At Loreto Kirribilli, our vision for reconciliation is a continuous commitment to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the process of truth telling and healing. We endeavour to model behaviours and attitudes founded on the teachings of Christ, as a Catholic school of integrity, inclusivity and equity. We acknowledge past injustices, deeply listen, show empathy and collaboratively work to restore and strengthen relationships between First Nations peoples and the wider Australian community.
Respectful relationships and justice are founded on a deep understanding of the place and value of First Nations peoples in Australian society. Our Loreto values of sincerity, verity, felicity, freedom and justice are the foundation from which we seek to foster and grow an authentic partnership that seeks truth, justice and a sincere desire to learn about First Nations culture.
The Reconciliation Action Plan is built on three pillars: Relationships, Respect, and Opportunities. Read the complete Loreto Kirribilli Action Plan here.
Wandana
The brightly-coloured painting Wandana, which hangs in the Centenary Hall, was painted by the students in 2019. It represents the Kirribilli headland and the communities of Loreto Kirribilli, past and present. Combining traditional Aboriginal symbols with the symbols of our school heritage, the painting shows the community flowing out in spiritual connection with the land.
